Hermetically-sealed package



Jan. 20, 1931. E. scar-15m 1,789,453

HERME'I'ICALLY SEALED PACKAGE Filed June 16, 1928 iifiirliiiimn 6 INVENTOR M ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 2t), 1931 UNITED? STATES PATENT OFFICEI EDGAR SCOFIELID, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIGNO ro ANCHOR A? & CLOSUREGORPORATION, or LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORKRERMRrroALLYsnAnRnPACK GE Application filed. June 16,

The present invention relates generally to the sealing art and moreparticularly to improvements in hermetically sealed-packages havingseals formed on the side wall of the container, for example, packagessimilar to that shown in my Patent No. 1,611,955 granted December 28,1926.

The side walls of glass containers are usually free from defects commonto the edges thereof, hence side seal closures form seals superior toother types. Due to the fact that these seals are usuallyformedpn thestraight side Wall of containers, a very tight seal is necessary to holdthe caps in position. Most products must be kept hermetically sealed formonths and, in some cases, for years. This is another reason for a tightseal. I

Side-seals are generally made by mechan- 2o ically reforming the skirtof the cap and constricting it about the gasket to'compress the gaskettightly against the container; The metal of the cap frequently crinklesduring the constricting operation, detracting as from theappearance ofthe cap and rendering the seal less perfect. Pressures of severalthousand pounds are requiredfor the reforming and sealing operation.Caps thus securely applied are diflicultto remove because of thetightness with which they are secured to the container and because thelower edge of the cap is constricted closely about the container makingit difiicult to apply instruments to the cap for removal thereof.Consumers, inexperienced in the characteristics of the cap, distort itduring removal to such an extent that it cannot be used for resealpurposes.

The present invention aims to overcome or minimize these difficulties byproviding a cap and package which may be securely sealed as heretoforeby means of lower pressures without crinkling the metal of theconstricted part of the cap. Y The skirt of the cap facilitates theapplication of a removing tool adapted to engage the bottom of the skirtat consecutive points throughout the periphery thereof to expand theskirt for removal without material deformation thereof. The 50 cap, whenthus removed, may be used sub.-

1928. Serial No. 285,811.

sequently for re-seal purposes, that is, to close the container duringconsumption, from day to day, of the product therein.

An object of the invention is to facilitate application and removal ofside'seal closures without impairing the effectiveness of 'the seal. 7

Another object of the inventionisto provide a side seal-closure capwhich may be readily removed and used thereafter for reseal purposes.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate crinkling of the metalcaused by the constriction of the skirt of the cap about the gasketduring the sealing operation. i

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrated embodiment about to be described orindicated in appended claims, and various advantages not referred toherein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment .of theinvention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and'is shown in the accompanying drawings,wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of asealed package illustrating the application of the invention thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of ahportion of thepackage'showing one of the s ts; I

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a blank adapted to be formed into a cap; 7

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view partly in section showing a cap andgasket assembled;

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view illustrating the removal of the cap;and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of another form of the invention. I

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a container 1, which is hereshown in the form of a tumbler, with a substantially cylindrical alongthe side wall sealing surface adjacent its upper end. A closure cap 2with a gasket 4: in the skirt thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, may beapplied to the upper end ofthe tumbler. When in unsealed position, theclosure cap comprises a cover portion 5 and a depending skirt 6 with abead 7 formed therein to receive the gasket. The lower edge of the skirtis turned inwardl to form the lower side of the bead and to iorm also asupporting shelf for the gasket. Such a cap may be made in any suitablemanner. 7 For example, it may be stamped by means of a combination dieinto a form such as that shown in Fig.4. The die 1s such that the loweredge of the blank has a series of slits 8 therein preferably at equal1ntervals throughout. Thereafter, the lower edge is turned inwardly asshown 1n Flg. 5, so that a gasket 4 may be assembled and held inposition by the lower edge.

In the sealing operation the. shape of the bead 7 is changed from theform shown m Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 1. In thls reformingoperation, the outer side of the bead is pressed inwardly and the lowerpartthereof is constricted in size to press the gasket firmly againstthe side wall of the container. Such constricting operation is usuallyperformed by means of a chuck and there 1s considerable tendency for themetal to crlnkle in the constricting operation. In other words, theresistance to the compression of the metal in the reduction of size isso great that the metal will sometimes bend inwardly to form what may becalled akink which presses into the gasket. Such crmkles or kinks notonly mar the appearance of the cap but likewise affect the securlty ofthe seal. In addition, the lower part of the skirt, when sealed,presents a band of metal about the lower part of the gasket which 1s invery close proximity to the side wall of the container. This makes itdifficult to apply an instrument since the space between the bottom ofthe skirt and the side wall of the container is very small. Furthermore,after the cap opener is applied, it is necessary to exert suliicientpressure to stretch this band of metal. lVhere an ordinary hook opener1s used, the cap is stretched at one point only and considerabledifficulty may be enco11n tered in its removal. Then too, the pressurenecessary for stretching the band of metal in the bottom of the capdistorts the other parts ofthe cap so that it is destroyed and cannot beused for re-seal purposes.

By providing the slits 8, the lower side of the gasket is held by aplurality of independent holding members 9 intermediate the slits. Inthe sealing operation, the constriction of the metal may be readilyachieved since the slits accommodate the change in size. There is notendency for the metal to crinkle and less pressure may be used in thesealing operation. The slits extend but a short distance from the bottomof the cap; hence, ample metal remains for forming a tight seal on thecontainen The bottom of the skirt, due to the slits, does not hug theside wall of the container so closely butspreads outwardly to afford agreater space between the bottom of the skirt and the container for theapplication of a cap opener.

lVhile the cap may be removed by the application of an opener at anypoint, preferably the opener is applied to the consecutive segments 9which are pulled outwardly as shown in F ig. 6 to expand the lower partof theskirt of the cap and permit its ready removal. This can beachievedwithout marring the appearance of the cap and without destroying it. Infact, the expansion of the skirt as shown increases the size of thegasket to a point where it will telescope tightly over the container andmay be put on and off indefinitely manually to form a liquid-tight and1n some instances, an hermetic seal.

lVhile any suitable slot may be used, preferably the shape of the slots8 is narrow and of such depth that they extend but a short distanceabove the lower edge of the skirt.

The width of the slot is preferably slightly greater than the amountrequired to take up the reduction in diameter of the lower part of theskirt without necessitating material compression of the metal at thispoint.

The inventionis shown in 7 applied to another form of package in whichthe lower part ofthe skirt of the cap is constrictedto press the gasketagainstthe'container and is also bent inwardly to form an inturnedflange 10 for supporting the bottom of the gasket. By slitting this capas shown at 11 the bottom of the gasket willbe held in position by aseries of independentholding members which may be readily bent outwardlyto facilitate removal of the cap. Preferably the slots 11 extendslightly above the flange 10. V

It will be seen that an economical onepieceside seal closure cap hasbeen'provided which may be more easily applied and removed with lessdifliculty than heretofore. Further, the cap is adapted to be used as are-seal closure during consumption of the contents of the package. Theapplication of the invention to the present forms of commercial closuresdoes not present serious difficulties, since the dies may be readilychanged to slit the edges of the blank during the stamping operationsand hence no additional operations are necessary. A substantial band ofmetal is effective to press the gasket against the container and,therefore. the tightness of the seal is not affected by the slits. Inthe case where the bottom of the cap is supported, the inturned metal issuificient to hold the gasket in place with the slots in the cap, andhence in these closures also the seal is not impaired in any way. Thecost of the closures is not increased, the sealing operation issimplified since lower pressures may be used, and the removal of the capis materially facilitated without impairing the seal. 7

As various changes may be made in the above embodiment without departingfrom the spirit of the invention it is to be understood that all matterherein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A closure cap comprising a cover portion, a depending skirt, and abead formed in said skirt adapted to receive a gasket, the lower side ofsaid head having a series of slits therein.

2. A closure cap comprising a cover portion, a depending skirt, a beadformed in said skirt, a gasket in said bead, the lower side of the beadhaving slotted portions to facilitate reformation of said bead in thesealing operation and to facilitate constricting the circumference ofthe lower side thereof.

3. A sealed package comprising a container having a substantiallyincompressible side wall and a closure cap, a gasket in the skirt of thecap compressed between the skirt and the side wall of the container, thepart of the skirt holding the lower part of the gasket being slitted atintervals to facilitate removal of the cap.

4. A sealed package comprising a container, having a substantiallyincompressible side wall, a closure cap, a gasket in the skirt of thecap compressed between the skirt and the side wall of the container, anda plurality of independent sections separated by narrow slits adapted tohold the lower edge of said gasket in position.

5. A hermetically sealed package comprising a container having asubstantially inof points about its periphery, and a ring gasket in saidskirt adjacent said slitted portions.

8. A closure cap comprising a cover por tion and a depending skirt, thebottom of said skirt comprising a series of segments bent inwardly tosupport a ring gasket, and a ring gasket in the skirt of said cap seatedupon said segments.

9. As an article of manufacture, a closure cap comprising a coverportion, a depending skirt shaped to receive a ring gasket, with thelower edge of the skirt turned inwardly to support said gasket, saidlower edge being slitted at intervals to facilitate the reformationthereof for forcing the gasket inwardly toward the side wall of acontainer in the sealing thereof.

Dated: New York, N. Y., June 6, 1928.

EDGAR SGOFIELD.

compressible side wall, a closure cap having a head in the skirtthereof, a gasket in said bead compressed against the side wall of thecontainer, the lower side of the bead having a series of slits formingindependent holding members for the lower part of the gasket, wherebythese members may be pulled outwardly to release the gasket and toremove the cap without necessitating the stretching of the metal at theedge of the cap.

6. A hermetically sealed package comprising a container having asubstantially incompressible side wall, a closure cap having a head inthe skirt thereof, a gasket in said bead compressed against the sidewall of the container, said gasket being held in position at the lowerside thereof by a plurality of members independently bendable wherebythe lower part of the skirt may be readily expanded at consecutiveportions of its periphery without material deformation, therebypermitting it to be used as a re-seal.

7. A closure cap comprising a cover portion and a depending skirt, thebottom of said skirt being turned inwardly to form a support for a ringgasket, with the free edge of the inturned skirt severed at a plurality

